RSDP Happenings

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You’re a Minnesota farmer who cares about conservation, but the risks of veering from conventional farming feel great. How would new practices affect the bottom line? Have they worked on other similar farms? And besides what any research says, what do actual farmers think?

At Duluth’s Hartley Nature Center, the future of solar power is part of children’s everyday learning. Every time they turn on the lights or wash their hands, students experience the potential of solar energy.

When City of Gary residents come together to work on a community project, they don’t just talk about the project. They physically do the work together. In this northwestern Minnesota town with a population just over 200, talent runs deep.

“People protect what they know and love.” It’s a concept that community leaders in the Crosslake area have rallied around, according to Molly Zins, Executive Director of the University of Minnesota (UMN) Extension Central Regional Sustainable Development Partnership.

Wastewater treatment happens at a local level, but the impacts affect us all. When untreated sewage enters lakes, streams and rivers, its contaminants are discharged back into the environment. It’s a global problem that can exceed local budgets.

Carol Ford is good at imagining a brighter future. Even more importantly, Ford is good at taking steps to make that vision a reality. Whether writing a “hero’s tale” modern novel, creating a winter Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project, or building one of the first Deep Winter Greenhouses (DWG), Ford is an innovator.

Across the state of Minnesota, University of Minnesota students serve communities and make connections between hands-on community-based projects and their own academic pursuits. As part of the University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships’ (RSDP) mission to connect community needs with University resources, students’ energy, passion, and burgeoning skill sets provide fuel for many RSDP projects.

It’s nearly the peak of summer, but Minnesotans always keep in mind that our winters are cold. While the pastures are green, we can think ahead to warming up with fluffy, cozy wool blankets or hats made from locally raised sheep.

In keeping with the mission of a land-grant university, RSDP connects faculty to opportunities for community engagement and community-engaged scholarship through our regional boards, projects and resources.